Process of completely separating gasoline from mineral oil



Aug- 6, 1929. A. E. Plzw, JR.. ET AL 1,723,368

PROCESS "0F COMPLETELY SEPARATING GASOLINE FROM MINERAL OIL Filed Feb. 23. 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug- 6, 1929. A. E. PEW. JR., ET AL 41,723,368

PROCESS OF COMPLETELY SEFAHATING GASOLINE FROM MINERAL OIL Filed Feb. 23. 1924 SSheets-Sheet .2 m 29 YI Y 28 29 3 mw m m Vm y (s h f@ Ta 23 O 2/ V-f GD fm g 4; 4

fm 6D GD VID w L irmmwrmmfmwfmfmrm /0 LL@ fm h fm fm Hh Fmrv l GD (l h fm GD fm J J fm @mn-mmm fm" L23 23H HG2. @mmm-Maroni fm @n m n -m rm an fm 2// 1 4 i -frff i i. l 3o i l f- /NVE/va/Ps Aug. 6, 1929. A. E. PEw, JR.. ET AL 1,723,368

PRDCESS OF' COMPLETELY SEPARATING GASOLINE 'FROM MINERAL OIL Filed Feb. 23. 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Aug. 6, 1929. A. E, PEw, 4R., ET AL 1,723,368

PROCESS OF' COMPLETELY SEPARATING GASOLINE FROM MINERAL OIL Filed Feb. 23, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Il l l I al l W/ Essy l rf/ur .5 w, 175, an?

/zw/yaomaa ug. 6, 1929. A. E. FEW, JR.. ET AL 1,723,368

PROCESS OF COMPLETELY SEPARATING GASOLINE FROM MINERAL OIL Filed Feb. 23. 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 WE/v ro fas Patented Aug. 6, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR E. FEW, JR., OF BRYN MAWR, AND HENRY THOMAS, OF BIDLEY Pm PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS T SUN OIL COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENN# SYLVALNIA, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

IROCESS 0E COMPLETELY SEPARATDTG GASOLINE FROM MINERAL OIL.

Application led February 23, 1924. Serial No. 694.470,

The object of this invention is to provide a new process for .separating gasoline from crude oil, whereby a practically quantitative separation of the gasoline may be eiected. A

further object of our invention is to accontplish this result with a maximum of simplicity and with a minimum expenditure of heat.

An apparatus suitable for carrying out our process is shown in the drawings, wherein- Fig. lis a diagram of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the fractionating tower for heavy gasoline.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are sections respectively on the lines 3-3, 4-4,-and 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional elevation of one of the caps for directing vapors through the vapor condensate in the fractionating tower for heavy gasoline and in the upper part of the vaporizing-fractionatlng tower for light gasoline.

Fig. 7 is a simplified view of the still, 1ncluding our improved vaporizing pans.

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional side view of the upper and receiving end of the upper vapor izing pan.

' Fig. 9 is an end view of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged section on the line 10 of Fig. i?.

Fig. 11 is a sectional elevation of the vaporizing-fractionating tower for light gasoline.

Fig. 12 is a plan of one of the sheets of the upper section of the tower of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a plan of Aone ofthe screens of the middle section of the tower of Fig. 11.

Fig. 14 is a plan of one of the plates of the lower section of the tower of Fig. 11.

Preparatory to a detailed description of the apparatus, the operation will be described (reference being made to Fig. 1) in a very general way.

Crude oil is pumped through pump a and line (7), thence through reflux condenser c (or partly through by-pass d) to line e, thence through heat exchangers f (where the lightest fractions are raised to a vaporizing temperature) and line g to the vaporizing-iractionating tower h. Uncondensed vapors pass to a condenser z'. Residual oil passes through line y' to still 7c. On the vaporizing pans m,

5o hi, n, in the still, the oil is so largely vaporized that no unvaporized fractions suitable for gasoline pass into the body of the still. The vapors pass into the fractionating tower o, uncondensed vapors going to the condenser p and redux through line 1' to storage. Resid- $5 ual oil from the still 7c is conveyed by pumps through the heat exchangers The fractionating, or hub le, tower o is shown in detail in Figs. 2-6. It; contains two series of horizontal plates 20 and 21, the lates 60 20 and 21 being arranged alternately. ach `plate 20 has a central orificeA from which depends an open-ended tube o r pipe 22. 4Each plate 21 has orices near its periphery from which depend open-ended tubes 23. Each pipe 22 or 23-extends also somewhat above the level of the plate' from which it depends. Each plate 20`and 21 is also provided with numerous orifices from which project upward one member 24 of a compound ca The other 70 member 25 of the cap straddles t e member 24 and extends to the door of the plate. See Fig. 6. Member 24 of the ca has orifices 26 near its closed upper end. ember 25 of the cap has orifices 27 in its lower edge. The ori- 75 ices 26 communicate with the annular space between the two cap members. Above the top plate 20 is a central pan 28 and radiatin therefrom are pipes 29 having downwar bnds extending to near the door of the upper se p ate 20.

Vapors entering the tower o at 30 from the still o'strike the baille 31. The vapors rise through the plates by passing through the caps 2er-25. The condensate accumulating g5 on each plate overiows through pipe 22 or pipes 23. The level of condensate on each plate is above the orifices 27 in the lower edges of cap members 25 and therefore the vapors passing through the caps are forced to bubble up through the condensate.

Referring now to Figs. 7-10, the still k may be of any suitable type. We have shown a cylindrical still, omitting well known details. The features of novelty in this still are the vaporizing pans, which, as hereinbefore stated, receive the residual oil from the vaporizing-ractionating tower h, the oil entering the still through pipe j and discharging on the upper end of pan m. This end of pan m carries an oil-receiving cup 40 see Fig. 8) having a front notched wall 41 see Fig. 9), over which oilpoverflows onto the body of the pan m. The pan m is provided with a longitudinal partition 42, which maintains half the total volume of flowing oil on each side thereof. At the lower end of pan m, half the unvaporized oil discharges LWB maintain the desired level of-oil in the still k. yThe residual oil flowing from the still may 'be used for fuely or may be further distilled.

In its passage lthrough the heat exchangers f, the fuel oil drops in temperature from about 520 F. t0 about 220 F.

By the use of the foregoin process and apparatus there is effected a su stantially quantitative separation of gasoline with maximum economy in the use of fuel.

vWhere, in the claims, we -refer to the separation of gasoline from crude oil, we do not mean to exclude the equivalent separation of any lighter fraction or fractions of mineral oil from a heavier fraction or fractions thereof; it being intended to claim all the uses to which the invention is adapted. The process may besimplified by effecting the separation of allthe gasoline in the tower o, but with the waste ,of heat involved in elevating'the lighter fractions of gasoline to an unnecessarily hi h temperature.

Having now ully described our invention, what we claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. The process of separating relatively light and relatively heavy soline from mineral oil which comprises eating a flowing stream of liquid oil to a temperature above the vaporizing temperature of a relatively light constituent thereof and partly Vaporizing, the oil and fractionating the vapors in a space heated by the oil flowing thereinto and removing the vapors, flowing the residual oil from said space into a second space and therein applying heat to such residual oil by flowing 1t over an extended surface in a thin layer and collecting it in a pool and simultaneously applying heat to the said pool and to the flowing thin layer of oil and causing the hot vapors driven off by'said heat to contact with the flowing thin layer of oil, and flowing the vapors from the second space into a third spaceand therein fractionating andremoving the vapors.

2. The process of separating gasoline from mineral oil which vcomprises preliminarily heatin a flowing stream of oil to a temperature a ove the vaporizing temperature of a relatively light constituent thereof, flowing the oil so heated into a space heated only Aby mineral oil which comprises heating the oil4 'to a temperature above the vaporizing temperature of` a relatively light constituent thereof, flowing the oil so heated into a vertically elongated space between the upper and lower ends thereof wherein the oil carrying considerable vapor flows downward over a succession of extended surfaces and the vapor flows upward' and in the flow of vapor above the pointof entry of the oil screeningand partly condensing thefvapors and ata still higher level further fractionating the vapors by bubbling the same through descending oil.

4. The process of separating gasoline from mineral loil which comprises beating the oil to a temperature above the vaporizing temperature of a relatively light constituent thereof, flowing the oil so heated into a vertically elongated space between the upper and lower ends thereof wherein the oil carrying considerable vapor flows downward over a succession of extended surfaces and the vapor flows upward and in the flow of vapor above the point of entry of the oil screening and furthercondensin the vapors and at a rstill higher level furt er fractionating the vapors by bubbling the same through descending oil, and flowing heated oilinto the upper part of said space to supply any deiciency in condensed vapors and to also more accurately control the temperature therein.

In testimony of which invention, we have hereunto set our hands.- at Philadelphia, Pa.,

on this 14th day of February, 1924.

ARTHUR E. PEW, JR.- HENRY THOMAS. 

